Я добре розумію тебе.

I understand you well.

Breakdown of Я добре розумію тебе.

• я: I
• тебе: you
• розуміти: to understand
• добре: well

Questions & Answers about Я добре розумію тебе.

Why is it тебе and not ти?

Because ти is the subject form (nominative case), and тебе is the object form (accusative / genitive).

• ти = you as the subject:
  
  • Ти розумієш мене. – You understand me.
• тебе = you as the object:
  
  • Я добре розумію тебе. – I understand you well.

In this sentence, "you" is the thing being understood, so Ukrainian uses the object form тебе.

Which case is тебе here – genitive or accusative?

Formally, тебе can be both genitive and accusative (they look the same for ти).

In this sentence it is accusative, because:

• The verb розуміти (to understand) takes a direct object in the accusative:
  • розуміти кого? що? – to understand whom? what?
  • розумію тебе – I understand you (accusative)

So here тебе answers the question кого? (whom?) → accusative use.

Can I also say Я тебе добре розумію? What’s the difference in word order?

Yes, Я тебе добре розумію is also correct.

Both:

• Я добре розумію тебе.
• Я тебе добре розумію.

mean essentially the same thing: I understand you well.

Nuances:

• Я добре розумію тебе. – slightly more neutral, with a bit more focus on how (well) you understand.
• Я тебе добре розумію. – often sounds like a bit more focus on тебе (you specifically), something like “You, I understand well.”

In everyday speech, both orders are very natural; the difference is subtle and mostly about emphasis.

Can I drop я and just say Добре розумію тебе?

Yes, you can.

• Добре розумію тебе.

is a perfectly natural sentence and means the same thing: I understand you well.

In Ukrainian, the verb ending -ю in розумію already tells us the subject is I (1st person singular), so the pronoun я is not necessary.

• You keep я if you want to emphasize I:
  
  • Я добре розумію тебе, а він – ні. – I understand you well, but he doesn’t.
• You can omit it in neutral statements:
  
  • Добре розумію тебе. – I (do) understand you well.

Why is the verb розумію and not something like розумю?

The infinitive is розуміти (to understand).

To make 1st person singular present, Ukrainian uses the stem розумі- plus the ending -ю:

• розуміти → stem розумі-
  • -ю = розумію – I understand

Key points:

• The -і- stays in the stem: розумі-, it does not drop.
• The ending -ю tells us:
  • person: 1st
  • number: singular
  • tense: present
• In the present tense, the form розумію does not change for gender (same for men and women).

What exactly does добре mean here? Is it “good” or “well”?

In this sentence, добре means “well”, not “good”.

• добрий – adjective: good (describes nouns)
  
  • добрий день – good afternoon
• добре – adverb: well (describes verbs, how something is done)
  
  • добре розумію – I understand well

So Я добре розумію тебе is literally I well understand you → natural English: I understand you well.

Note: добре can also mean “OK / all right” as a standalone word:

• Добре, я прийду. – OK, I’ll come.
  But in your sentence it’s clearly the adverb “well”.

Can добре go in other positions, like Я тебе розумію добре?

Yes, but some positions are more natural than others.

Most natural:

• Я добре розумію тебе.
• Я тебе добре розумію.

Possible but less neutral / more emphatic:

• Добре я розумію тебе. – strong focus on добре: I really do understand you well.
• Я розумію тебе добре. – can sound a bit heavier or contrastive, like: I understand you well (unlike someone else / unlike something else).

In everyday speech, добре most often appears before the verb or right after the pronoun object:

• Я добре розумію тебе.
• Я тебе добре розумію.

How do I say this politely to someone I don’t know well, or to more than one person?

Use the formal / plural “you”: ви / вас.

• Я добре розумію вас. – I understand you (formal / you all) well.

Form summary:

• Informal singular:
  • ти (subject), тебе (object) → Я добре розумію тебе.
• Formal singular or plural:
  • ви (subject), вас (object) → Я добре розумію вас.

Ukrainian uses ви / вас both for:

• polite you (one person),
• and you (more than one person).

How does Ukrainian express “I understand” vs “I’m understanding”? Is there any difference here?

Ukrainian has only one present tense form for this verb: розумію.
It covers both English meanings:

• Я розумію тебе.
  • I understand you. (general / habitual)
  • I’m understanding you (now). (current situation)

There is no separate continuous tense in Ukrainian like English am understanding. Context tells you whether it’s general or happening right now.

What’s the difference between розумію and forms like зрозумів or зрозумію?

This is about aspect: imperfective vs perfective.

• розуміти → розумію (imperfective)
  • focus on process / state: I understand (in general / right now).
• зрозуміти → зрозумів (past) / зрозумію (future) (perfective)
  • focus on result / completion:
    • Я добре тебе зрозумів. – I understood you well / I have understood you well (it’s now clear).
    • Я добре тебе зрозумію. – I will understand you well (when the time comes).

So:

• Я добре розумію тебе. – ongoing understanding.
• Я добре тебе зрозумів. – I’ve already come to understand you (result achieved).

How do you pronounce Я добре розумію тебе?

Approximate pronunciation (English-style):

• Я – ya
• добре – DO-bre (stress on DO; e like bed)
• розумію – ro-zu-MEE-yu (stress on MEE)
• тебе – te-BE (stress on BE, again like bed)

Stress pattern:
Я ДОбре розуМІю теБЕ

In IPA (broad approximation):

• [jɑ ˈdɔbrɛ rɔzuˈmijʊ tɛˈbɛ]

Main tips:

• Roll or tap your r.
• д, т, б are not aspirated (no strong puff of air).
• ю is like yu in you: [ju].